Fire-escape.



G. F. TADINI FIRE ESCAPE. APPucaTwM man JUNE 25, I911.

Patented Dec. 4, 1917.

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FIRE ESCAPE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25. I917- Patented Dec. 4, 1917.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.d,191'7.

' Application filed June 25, 1917. Serial No. 176,713.

To all whom it may concern:

" Be it knownthatl, GEnoMn F. TADINI,

a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan,city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improvement'inFire-Escapes, of which the following is the specification.

This invention relates to a fire escape apparatus and more particularlyto that form of fire escape which may be raised and lowered in theoperation thereof so as to be brought to a level with any floor of thebuilding to which the fire escape is attached, and after the personsdesiring to leave the building are on the fire escape it may be loweredto the ground or a position of safety, suitable meansbeing employed forcontrolling the operation of the apparatus.

In carrying outthe present invention I preferably employ a suitableplatform for the apparatus together with a plurality of upright guideand support members suitably attached to the building and in which thecontrol members are contained, these control members being connectedtothe fire escape and operated thereon by suitable devices to engage theguide supports and to be released so as to either grip the'guidesupports to maintain the fire escape in position or to permit the fireescapeto be raised or lowered as occasion may require. The fire escapeis also provided with suitable counterweights so that normally it may bemaintained in any desired position and with control ropes by which itmay be raised and lowered either from the platform of the fire escape orfrom any window or opening in the building adjacent the line of thecontrol ropes. The apparatus made in accordance with this invention willbe hereinafter more particularly described in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a general front elevation ofthe apparatus comprising myinvention.

Fig. 2 is an end view and partial cross section on an enlarged scale.

. Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 33 Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the parts shown in Fig. 3 taken at rightangles thereto. Referring to the drawing, in carrying out my invention,I employ a fire escape com prising a platform 10 fitted with a front 11and side members 12 and13. These parts may be made of any suitablematerial and connected in any desired manner. The side members aresimilar and consequently but one side member will be described. Eachside member terminates in brackets 14.- and 15 having cylindrical endswhich fit and are adapted to slide within tubular guide sup ports 16which are split at 17 longitudinally so as to receive the portions ofthe side mem bers adjacent the cylindricalends, and these tubular guidesupports are secured in up right positions and in any suitable manner tothe side of the building to which the fire escape is to be attached.Each cylindrical end of the brackets is the same and consequently butone of these members will be described in detail. For example, thecylindrical end of the bracket 14: is centrally of reduced diameter asindicated at 18 and adapted to receive a split ring 19 which, as will beunderstood, also fits within the corresponding tubular guide support.WVith each split ring there is employed an arbor, one end 20 of which isjournaled in the upright member 21 in the corresponding bracket whilethe other end 22 is journaled in a bearing provided therefor in thereduced portion of the cylindrical end of the'bracket. Each arborcarries a rectangular block 23 lying between the split portion of thering 19 and adapted as will be understood, when the arbor is turned, toact as a cam, the opposlte corners bearing agamst the edges ofthesplit'ring to force the same apart and against the walls of thetubular guide support. "On each of these arbors there is also an arm24:. The arms 24 on one side of the apparatus are connected by a link 25as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

. At the rear of the fire escapethere is a frame comprising cross bars26 and centrally disposed and spaced uprights 27, these latter'membersbeing connected by a strap piece 28. Suitably journaled in thestrap piece 28 and the lower cross bar 26, there is a shaft 29. On thelower end of the shaft 29 there 'is a handwheel 30 and also onthe shaft29 and immediately above the strap piece 28 or in any other suitableposition, there 1s a second hand wheel 31. The upper end of the shaft 29is screw threaded as indicated at 32 and adapted to operate in thetapped end of a socket member 33. This socket member 33 is pivotallyconnected to a lever bar 34 as indicated at 35. This lever bar extendsacross the outermost tubular guide supports and at one end is pivotallyconnected to the link 25 while at the opposite end it is pivotallyconnected to a link 36 which corresponds to the link 25 and therefore ispivotally connected to the operating arms at the opposite side of theapparatus. 1 may also employ springs 37 and 38 or other suit abledevices for equalizing the action of the lever bar 34 on the oppositeends thereof so that the tension when applied to the split rings will bethe same on both sides of the apparatus.

Adjacent the top of the building in fitting the fire escape for use Iemploy pulleys 39 and 40 over each pair of which a rope or cable 41passes and is provided at one end on the exterior of the building withan eye 42 adapted to be engaged by a hook 43 secured in the upper faceof. the cylindrical end of the bracket 15 within the correspondingtubular guide support. At the other end each rope or cable 41 is fittedwith a counterweight 44, it being understood that there is preferablyemployed a counterweight on each side of the apparatus.

I11 order that the fire escape may be raised and lowered from theplatform thereof or from a window in the building to which it isapplied, I also employ a set of control ropes45 each passing overpulleys 46 se cured adjacent the top of the building, and pulleys 47secured adjacent the bottom of the building both on the outer surfacethereof,'and these control ropes also pass through the upper ends 48 ofthe upright members 27, and are preferably tied therein as indicated at49. In the bottom of each tubular guide support member I may also employa spring 50 or other similar device to act as a cushion to absorb theshock if for anyreasonthe fire escape should be brought down suddenly tothe lower limit of its travel.

' From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the fireescape'made in accordance with my present invention'beingcounterbalanced will when released, be adapted to stay in any positionin which it may be put and normally the parts are releasedso that by theuse of the control ropes 45 the platform may be raised or lowered to anydesired position, and when in arequired position, the shaft 29 isturnedth'rough either of the hand wheels 30 or 31 so as to raise the ofthe tubular guide supports. As will also be understood, this action maybe sufiicient to cause the fire escape to descend at any desired speedwhen loaded, or if necessary to grip the same in a fixed position.

I claim as my invention:

.1. A fire-escape apparatus comprising a to the said cylindrical,HlGillbGlS, devices lying within the circumferential recesses of thecylindrical members, and means actuated from the platform for operatingsaid devices to cause the same to engage the inner circular surface. ofthe saidtubular guide sup ports. I

2. A fire-escape apparatus comprising a platform, a plurality of-splittubular guide supports secured to a building, recessed cylindricalmembers fitting and adapted to slide within the said split tubular guidesupports, split/rings lying within the recessed portions of the saidcylindrical members, and means operated from the platform for actuatingthe said split rings to cause the same to engage the inner surfaces ofthe said split tubular guide supports.

,3. A'fire escape apparatus.comprising a platform, a plurality of splittubular guide supports secured to a building, brackets-havends having areduced portion therein, a

split ring fitting within the reduced portion of each of the cylindricalends of said brackets, a rectangular block lying within the splitportion of each ring, an arbor j ournaled in each bracket and carryingthe corresponding rectangular block, and means operative from theplatform for turning the said arbor-s to cause the rectangular blocks tospread-the split ringsand bind the same to the tubular guide supports.

*4 A fire escape apparatus comprising a platform, a plurality of splittubular guide s ppor s secu ed to a building, brackets havingcylindrical ends fitting within the said tubular guide supports andconnected to the said platform, each of the said cylindrical ends havinga reduced portion therein, a split ring fitting within the reducedportion of each of the cylindrical ends of said brackets, a rectangularblock lying within the split portion of eachring, an arbor Journaled ineach bracket and carrying the corresponding rectangular block, an armcarried by each of said arbors, links connecting the said arms extendingfrom corresponding tubular guide supports, a lever bar extending acrossthe said tubular guide supports and connected at its ends to-the saidlinks, and means for raising and lowering the said lever bar to actuatethe said arms and arbors to cause the said-rectangular blocks thereon tospread the split rings in order to engage the tubular guide supports.

5. A fire escape apparatus comprising a platform, a plurality of splittubular guide supports secured to a building, brackets havingcylindrical ends fitting within the said tubular guide supports andconnected to the said platform, each of the said cylindrical ends havinga reduced portion therein, a split ringfitting within the reducedportion of each of the cylindrical ends of said brackets, a rectangularblock lying within the split portion of each ring, an arbor journaled ineach bracket and carrying the corresponding rectangular block, an armcarried by each of said arbors, links connecting the said arms extendingfrom corresponding tubular guide supports, a lever bar extending acrossthe said tubular guide supports, and connected at its ends to the saidlinks, a shaft journaled in the platform frame and screw threaded at oneend, a socket member adapted to be engaged by the screw threaded end ofthe said shaft and pivotally connected to the said lever bar, and meansfor turning the said shaft.

6. A fire escape apparatus comprising a platform, a plurality of splittubular guide supports secured to a building, brackets havingcylindrical ends fitting Within the said tubular guide supports andconnected to the said platform, each of the said cylindrical ends havinga reduced portion there in, a split ring fitting within the reducedportion of each of the cylindrical ends of said brackets, a rectangularblock lying within the split portionof each ring, an arbor journaled ineach bracket and carrying the corresponding rectangular block, an armcarried by each of said arbors, links connecting the said arms extendingfrom corresponding tubular guide supports, a lever bar extending acrossthe said tubular guide supports and connected at its ends to the saidllnks, a shaft journaled in the plat form frame and screw threaded atone end, a socket member adapted to be engaged by the screw threaded endof the said shaft and pivotally connected to the said lever bar, meansfor turning the said shaft, counterweights by which the platform may bemaintained in any desired position when the split rings are released,and control cables for raising and lowering the platform when -.tl1esplit rings are released.

Signed by me this 19th day of April, 1917 GEROME F. TADINI.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

